New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday called for uniform laws and processes across the globe for drug trafficking, extradition of drug kingpins, and sharing of intelligence.
Addressing the R N Kao Memorial Lecture-2026 organised by the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), Shah said under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India has set a goal to achieve a Drug-Free India by 2047.
The lecture is held in the memory of R&AW founder Rameshwar Nath Kao.
In his address on ‘Narcotics: A Borderless Threat, A Collective Responsibility’, Shah said Indian security agencies had prepared a roadmap to eradicate drug syndicates.
At the event held in the agency’s headquarters, attended by ambassadors, high commissioners and diplomats from more than 40 countries, Shah said there was still time for all responsible nations to work together to defeat the threat of drugs.
If joint efforts were not initiated now, after ten years, the world would realise that it was too late to reverse the harm it had caused, he cautioned.
“The world must simultaneously fight both narco networks and narco-terror states. In this fight, the world will have to adopt uniform laws for a common definition of prohibited substances, standardised punishments for drug trafficking, extradition of drug kingpins, and intelligence sharing,” he said.
The home minister said that unless there is a high degree of global alignment on what is designated as controlled substances, as well as common standard penalties for drug trafficking, cartels would continue to take advantage of the inconsistencies in policy, weakening the fight.
Underscoring the need for international cooperation, Shah said sharing real-time intelligence to interdict narcotics consignments and detain and deport drug kingpins was extremely important.
He stressed the need for a consensus on the fact that the war on drugs is critical for national security, public health and preventing “Narco-States” from becoming alternative power centres.
He urged the ambassadors and diplomats in attendance to join India’s efforts in the war against drugs.
Shah said under India’s policy of ‘zero tolerance’ towards drugs, the country would ensure that not one gram of narcotics is allowed to enter the country or leave it using India as a transit route.
Shah emphasised that drug trafficking is not just a law and order subject to be handled by the police or the anti-narcotics agencies, but an issue with a long-lasting impact on society and future generations.
The minister said that while there was awareness about drug money being funnelled to fund terrorists and criminal networks and fuelling a parallel economy, what largely goes unnoticed is the permanent damage drug abuse causes to the human body.
Shah said that in the last two years, India was successful in bringing back more than 40 transnational criminals to India, with the support of friendly countries. Yet, much more needs to be done, he added.
He said that the world, with a population of eight billion people, 195 nations, and 250,000 kilometres of international borders, cannot tackle the problem of drugs through fragmented approaches.
The war against drugs must rise above geopolitical differences, and should be fought with collective resolve, intelligence sharing, coordinated action, and cross-border operations, he said.
The event was attended by Kao’s family, former secretaries of R&AW, diplomats, and officials from the Indian security apparatus.
